


Vow

by msouma



Series: Kliego Week 2020 [2]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Blindfolds, M/M, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, no beta <3, smut thats not really smut bc i absolutely suck at smut so why not make it angst?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2020-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:40:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27238948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/msouma/pseuds/msouma
Summary: “How about now?” Diego’s voice sounded different when Klaus couldn’t see him nor a glimpse of a shadow. Deeper, richer, sexier.“Just how I like it,” Klaus responded before giving a slight smile.-Kliego Week 2020 Day 3 - Kink/Smut.
Relationships: Diego Hargreeves/Klaus Hargreeves
Series: Kliego Week 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1986322
Kudos: 27
Collections: Kliego Week 2020





	Vow

Klaus awoke with a gasp. His eyes searched for something in the endless darkness, even when they opened. It was dark, lonely, empty. All too quickly, he was a child again, stuck in the mausoleum, surrounded by unfamiliar faces, disembodied voices in his ears, and the stench of rot. He reached out, past the chilling whispers, to Diego’s side of the bed.

Empty.

It was like all air was knocked out of his lungs, and Klaus curled up. Knees to his chest, shaky hands clinging onto the sheets, face shielded by long curls to protect him from the screams of terror surrounding him. He had suffered through it before, he could do it again. There was nothing he couldn’t live through. Literally. God wouldn’t accept him even if he begged.

His breathing slowly got more rapid as he searched for some sense of reality, but all around him was the all-consuming darkness. He was wrapped up in it like a gift with a bow. He spoke, yet no one responded. He looked, yet saw nothing. He reached, and reached, and reached.

It was when he heard a little girl beg for her life that he clutched his hands over his ears. Hearing any more of it would shatter him into pieces. So instead, he hummed. A little, familiar melody as his numbing fingers clutched on his hair to cut the voices out.

The first touch in a while reached him. Warmth, one he hadn’t felt in ages while consumed in this void. Klaus’ hand moved away from one of his ears to cling onto it as he blinked rapidly to find the light again. Here it was, Diego had flicked it on. The light eliminated all of the bodies that haunted him, but the voices stayed drilled in his mind.

“Diego,” came a hushed, trembling voice. Without a word, the other pulled him in close. Klaus’ head laid on his shoulder as he kept humming, while Diego had his face buried in his hair, whispering soft encouragements, promising him that the darkness would never find him again. The haunting echoes still rang in his mind, but Klaus let his eyes close. With the light on, he was safe. With Diego here, he would never be hurt.

“I guess we’ll have to have the light on when we sleep, too, yeah?” Diego asked with not a sprinkle of mockery in his voice.

Klaus sniffled, nodded, clung onto his fiancé harder. “Y...yeah. Good idea.” The tiniest of smiles made its way on his face. Diego couldn’t see it, but they both knew he could feel it against his shoulder.

—

Klaus fidgeted with his shirt, tugging on the corners and twirling them around his fingers. Diego was right behind him, and Klaus felt himself tense when his breath hit the back of his neck. The hairs on his skin stood, a shaky breath escaped him.

“You remember the safeword, yeah?” Diego asked right before placing a kiss to Klaus’ neck. His warm lips melted any worry that managed to settle in Klaus’ mind, more so his words. Ah, he always had a way with words, though. Ever so awkward and unusually aggressive, yet so pleasant when he was around him. His Diego was like a diamond in the rough, like a small peek of light in the darkness.

The wall around him put its bricks back up at the mere memory. If there was one thing that could make Klaus crawl back into his own shell, it had always, always been darkness - the unknown, the endless. Diego did his best to tug him out through the cracks, but often it was much more of a chore than he expected. Klaus knew he was a burden, he knew very well, which is why they were here now. In their comfortable bed, with a bright light shining upon them as they knelt on the soft sheets. 

“Yeah, yeah… I do.” Klaus gave a nod, rolled his eyes. “It’s bunny.”

Diego pressed another kiss against his skin; Klaus could feel the smile there, too. Slowly, the black scarf was raised to Klaus’ eyes. He gulped, bit his lip, but didn’t say a word as it was wrapped around his eyes.

“Too tight?” Diego was nervous. He would never dare to hurt Klaus, they both knew it. Yet, he was essentially doing the thing he promised to never do. It hurt to see nothing but complete darkness, and what hurt more was that Klaus could already feel himself getting lost in this fear.

He shook his head, “too loose, actually.” Klaus chuckled weakly, then bit down on his lower lip. There was still a peek of light that he could hold onto, somewhere above his brow and under the bridge of his nose. He wanted it gone.

The makeshift blindfold was tightened once, then, upon Klaus’ request, twice, and finally, he was in the darkness he so despised. He exhaled sharply, but Diego’s hand was there to soothe him, rubbing his knuckles and giving his palm the tiniest of squeezes.

No experience was more terrifying than this (except the trauma itself), but that’s why they were here, no? To defeat this haunting fear.

“How about now?” Diego’s voice sounded different when Klaus couldn’t see him nor a glimpse of a shadow. Deeper, richer, sexier.

“Just how I like it,” Klaus responded before giving a slight smile.

After further instruction, he moved from his knees to lay on his stomach, then rolled onto his back. Minutes passed with nothing from Diego - not a word, not a touch, not some sort of noise to indicate he was there. They agreed on this. Agreed that Klaus would take the plunge at first, so he could be pulled back.

Then came a first whisper, but it was not his lover’s. Such a fragile, shaky _I’m sorry_. Klaus’ body tensed in an instant, his eyes opening in an attempt to search the source of this voice, but all he was met with was nothingness. He regretted this already.

“Klaus.” Finally, _something!_ Klaus' hands reached out towards the direction of Diego’s voice, but he couldn’t grasp him, not yet. 

If he could get any more tense, he probably would, as the fingers dragged over his uncovered belly. The unpleasant first impression stepped out to make way for something more gentle, kind. Heat trickled over his skin with a tingling sensation that both tickled and burned.

“Diego.” The word came as nothing more than a weak whisper. Klaus grasped onto Diego’s wrist to stop it, then slid his palm up his forearm. His fingers hid under the thick wool of his lover’s shirt, the slight tangles tugging against Klaus’ nails. As annoying as the sensation was, it was worth it when he could feel Diego’s skin right under his palm. The little hairs along his arm stood up, and Klaus snorted.

“I’m the one blindfolded here. I should be getting the touching, not doing it.”

“Mmhmmm…” He could sense the annoyance in Diego’s tone. “Then should I stop you, _baby?_ ” That little bitch, he knew just what that word did to him. Klaus gulped down the sudden dryness in his throat as he pulled the hand out of Diego’s sleeve and put it back down on the mattress.

Diego took that as his agreement, clearly, as he touched Klaus further. Now, his hand was under the crop top Klaus wore, while his other one rolled the fabric up slowly, letting it brush against Klaus’ skin. It was as hellish as it was heavenly; the darkness was no fun, but the sensations overpowered the ingrained script in his brain. Slowly, Diego kept going further. First, it was Klaus’ shirt that left his body, then it was his sweatpants, but Klaus ended up barely processing any of it. The complete exclusion of sight mixed with the feathery touches sent his mind spiraling into an unfamiliar place.

“Die- _oh!_ ” Brows drew together in surprise. Warmth centered on the left side of his neck in the form of lips slowly melted into his bloodstream, thus spreading it everywhere. Like hot wax, it was spilled all over his bare skin by littered kisses. Klaus couldn’t help himself, he needed to grasp onto something that grounded him. His hand found its way to Diego’s shoulder, tugging at the material as he let out a soft whine.

“I-I…” He trailed off, only for Diego to intrude, “You love me, yeah, I know.” Klaus could practically see that cocky grin that was now pressing against his throat.

“No,” he responded as he shook his head weakly, blinking his eyes open once more. “Take it off. I want it gone…” The order was accepted with ease, maybe even with a glint of happiness as Diego moved away from Klaus to take the top off.

The grounding was gone, and Klaus was left all alone again. The warmth kept him lulled in a mellow haze, so he trailed his fingers over the new-found bruises on his skin to keep himself in the trance Diego put him in. But it wasn’t enough.

“I’m right here,” Diego murmured while sliding back onto the bed, letting their legs touch for a split second to signal that he was here. He was here. Diego was always _here._

“Did I tell you to take your pants off?” Klaus asked with a pout as he pushed his foot against Diego’s shin. It was bare, and that was only confirmed when he pushed his whole leg against the other’s to test it.

“No… but I take creative liberties.” A shrug Klaus couldn’t see, but could presume happened. “Makes things faster.”

“Oh, so you want it fast? I thought we’re taking it slow today…” Klaus pulled his lower lip between his teeth as his hand moved towards his fiancé. It was grasped between Diego’s fingers, then tugged closer and closer until his fingers touched something smooth. As Klaus set his hand on it firmly, it wasn’t hard to recognize his all too familiar chest. He smiled.

“Mmm, I think I know where you’re taking this,” he whispered, then yelped as his hand was pushed down to the mattress. His head twisted to the side in reflex, though he didn’t see a thing.

“Nope,” Diego held the wrist down with his hand despite Klaus’ weak attempt to get it out. He huffed, shifted his head closer, but it was grasped so easily by Diego’s other hand. It was then set into place as Diego finally leaned down and kissed him for the first time since they started. Klaus’ eyes shut slowly, free arm looping itself around his lover’s neck. The kiss was tamer than their usual ones; the message of it was clear. Diego was trying to be considerate of Klaus’ current position - blind and trapped in place.

_Trapped._

Klaus tugged his wrist, his breathing growing rapid again. Suddenly he was 13, stuck in a tiny corner of a tiny room, cool walls surrounding him from all sides. Hands and legs scrambled for escape as he dug through the darkness for the search of light - the door that was opened mere moments ago. But hands, they reached for him. They found him and grabbed him and choked him as dying screams escaped the throats of rotting faces. He saw them. With blood splattered on their dry skin, with torn off limbs, with injuries that he couldn’t even phantom seeing.

His lips fell limp, free hand dug itself into Diego’s hair as he tugged far too harshly.

“Klaus-” Diego began as he pulled away, then paused when he realized what was happening. The contact; Klaus needed it more than air, but in Diego’s fear, it was all gone. Suddenly, Diego was no longer _here._ He needed him here.

Nails dragged through his skin, but Klaus was still here. Still in the bedroom. Not the mausoleum, not _yet._

“Bunny!” _The safeword._

“Can I touch you?” Diego asked, his voice suddenly quiet. Klaus nodded frantically, though he wasn’t sure if he was hearing things correctly.

The scarf was tugged off of his face efficiently, and with an encouraging whisper from Diego, Klaus opened his eyes. He had to blink a few times before he was met not only with the light of the room, but Diego himself. The unblinking, dead eyes were gone, so were the faces with bubbling blood and maggots.

“It’s you?” He asked, but he didn’t wait for an answer. Klaus wrapped his arms around Diego’s waist as he tugged him down so he could bury his face in the other’s chest, trembling fingers spreading out against Diego’s back. His eyes stayed open to take in the light and make sure no dead fingers could creep up on his skin.

“It’s me,” Diego reassured, “I’m here, baby. Sorry I scared you…” The soft pats to Klaus’ head instantly let him relax, though he was still wary as he pressed his nose against Diego’s skin.

Diego rocked him back and forth for a few minutes, one arm around his shoulders, the other hand in his hair. He whispered sweet nothings, ones that would make Klaus laugh or shoot a bitter remark any other time, but now he simply melted in the warm embrace.

“I love you,” Diego then murmured, and finally, Klaus smiled. He kissed the other’s skin as his eyes travelled up to meet Diego’s anxious, big, dark ones. He looked like a giant, soft puppy, afraid of his master’s scolding.

Klaus whispered, “I love you too.” There was no way he could scold him when he looked like that.

**Author's Note:**

> if there is one thing i hate more than writing smut, it's writing about babies. so today was just not my day, was it? instead, we have like 2 sexy words in there before this ends up being... uh... whatever it is! so i hope y'all enjoyed anyway.


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